Stichting Werk Luctor Ponse asked KlankKleurFestival to revive the monumental work Musique Concertante from 1977. In 1979, among others at the Dutch Music Days in Vredenburg Utrecht, it was last performed by the ICE ensemble. The work uses electronics from the 70s, such as the ARP 2600 synthesizer. It starts with an improvisation, and a recording of it on tape recorder later plays a role again, but then distorted, like a shadow. 

Program:

Nacht op. 31 (1961) for piano en Univox “on the threshold of the night”
Enchantement (1972)
Musique Concertante (1977)

Luctor Ponse (1914-1998) was a virtuoso concert pianist from France and Switzerland, with a Dutch father. In 1936 he settled in the Netherlands. In addition to his solo career as a concert pianist, he works for the ballet of the Dutch Opera and takes composition lessons with Henk Badings. During the war years, he initially performs and performs on the radio, but this stops after his refusal to sign for the Reichskulturkammer. During this period, he composes a lot of chamber music. After the war, in 1946, he performs Bartók’s 2nd piano concerto three times with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Eduard van Beinum, which is how the Dutch public first gets to know Bartók. In addition to his performances as a solo pianist with large orchestras, he travels the world as a duo with violinist Theo Olof in these post-war years, wins a composition prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and works as a composer-pianist on projects in collaboration with the Scapino ballet.

In 1960 he received a 5-year stipend from the Dutch government to devote himself to composing. During that time he discovered the possibilities of electronic music: a rich palette of new timbres revealed itself. In this way he quickly developed further in electronic music, as a composer but also from 1965 as a research assistant and lecturer at the Institute for Sonology of the State University of Utrecht, with Claude Vivier among his students. He already taught piano as his main subject at the conservatories of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Groningen; at the conservatory of Groningen he also set up a studio for electronic music. Luctor Ponse continued to compose until his death. After the concert the musicians will talk about the extensive research that preceded the performance of these works. Afterwards, the first copy of a reissue of “Muziek is gevoelscommunicatie” will be presented. Following this, we will all raise a glass to Luctor during our convivial Bohemian Drink.

SOUND MAKERS

Performed by Antonii Baryshevskyi (piano), Bart de Vrees (percussion), Elisabeth Smalt (viola), Peter Rikkers (bass guitar/double bass), Hans van Eck (technique) and Gerard Bouwhuis (piano in Nacht)

Technical assistance by Chris Smalt, Robert Bosch & studio Willem Twee (Den Bosch)

IMAGE MAKERS

Stichting Werk Luctor Ponse made a selection of photos and documents from Ponse’s life to exhibit in the hall, to be seen during and after the concert. The KlankKleurFestival also presents a special reissue in collaboration with typographer Janno Hahn, with thanks to Stichting Werk Luctor Ponse. The reissue contains an impressive interview by Gerben Makkes van der Deijl with Luctor Ponse: “Muziek is gevoelscommunicatie” – with special permission from Christo Lelie, editor-in-chief of Piano Bulletin.